My Mother at My Wedding

The master of ceremonies' voice was like a rusty knife stabbing into my frayed nerves. "Next, let's give a warm round of applause to the bride's mother, Ms. Lily Clark, to bless the newlyweds!" I suddenly snapped back to reality. Before me was the familiar wedding scene, a red carpet rolled out from the doorway to the stage, the guests' smiling faces blurring until my eyes stung. This was not a dream. I had truly gone back to my wedding day, to the moment my mother was about to destroy my entire life. Lily Clark was already lifting her skirt as she walked toward the stage, clutching that neatly folded speech in her hand. In my previous life, it was the words on this very paper that nailed me to the pillar of shame. I practically stumbled forward, rushing over to snatch the microphone away before she could grab it. "We can skip this part," my voice trembled but was resolute, "I don't want to hear it." The entire room fell silent instantly. Then whispers surged like a tide throughout the crowd. Yale Shawn quickly came to my side, his brows deeply furrowed: "Wendy, what's wrong?" His voice was filled with confusion, "Mom stayed up two nights writing more than two thousand words for today's speech. Don't you think this is a bit too—" Lily Clark's face immediately darkened. She reached to snatch the microphone from my hand, her voice rising: "Wendy Lincoln! What the hell are you doing?" "I specially prepared this—who do you think you are, not letting me speak!" I glanced at the paper in her hand. The edges were creased from her tight grip; I could almost imagine the slanders written inside. Eighteen hundred words, all fabricated rumors about me being a sugar baby and having an abortion. I ignored her accusations, raised the microphone once more, and said, "The wedding ceremony ends here. Please enjoy the food and drinks." After saying that, I grabbed Lily Clark's wrist and forcibly pulled her off the stage. She kept struggling behind me, cursing, "Wendy Lincoln, are you out of your mind? I worked so hard to prepare, and you just cancel it like that?" "Do you know I even got my hair done and bought a new dress just for today?" I shoved her back into the chair at the main table, sneering, "Save your feelings for Vivian Lincoln." Lily Clark suddenly froze. She looked up, a flicker of panic flashing in her eyes, as if I'd hit a nerve deep inside her. At that moment, the makeup artist hurried over, smiling as she said, "Wendy, it's time to change into your wedding toasting dress. I've prepared a really beautiful headpiece for you." I nodded, then turned to look at Shirley—not far away—my best friend and the person I trust most in this world. "Shirley, do me a favor." I grabbed her hand, lowering my voice, "Keep an eye on my mom—don't let her say anything reckless." "If she dares to say anything bad about me, cover her mouth immediately and call me right away." Shirley frowned slightly, then quickly nodded, "Don't worry, with me here, she absolutely won't dare say anything reckless!" She had known from a young age that Lily Clark was biased, and she'd also seen how Lily would blindly slander me. Watching her pound her chest as she promised, I felt a slight ease in my heart. Following the makeup artist into the lounge, I sat down in front of the vanity mirror, staring at myself in the reflection. The wedding dress was pure white, the makeup flawless, yet I couldn't help but remember the same day from my past life. Back then, I had happily let Lily Clark take the stage to speak. I thought I'd hear her praise me, hear her express how reluctant she was to let me go. But the moment she spoke, she said, "My daughter dated in middle school, was a mistress in university, and had multiple abortions." It was those words that made Yale Shawn divorce me the very next day. They led to me being cyberbullied and fired from my company. In the end, they even caused me to die on a psychiatric hospital bed.